Report: Up to 1.2 million problem gamblers in California

NORTH COUNTY -- There are as many as 1.2 million adult
compulsive gamblers in California, according to a report released
this week by the state's Office of Problem and Pathological
Gambling.

The report is based on a phone survey of 7,121 respondents
conducted between October 2005 and April 2006, the agency said. It
is described as one of the deepest looks at compulsive gambling in
California since voters approved legal gambling on Indian lands six
years ago.

Since 1996, gambling revenues in the state have increased
fivefold from $2.5 billion to an estimated $13 billion in 2004,
according to a report released by the state attorney general's
office last year. That includes Indian casinos, the state lottery,
Internet gambling, card clubs, horse race tracks and charitable
bingo.

Steve Hedrick, director of the agency that did the survey, said
it provides a good overview of problem gambling in the state and
will lead to better ways of addressing it.

"Now with this prevalence study, we'll be able to develop more
effective prevention strategies and better understand how to help
people with gambling problems," Hedrick said.

Some advocates for gambling addiction awareness said the
estimates may be conservative, given the recent growth of gambling
at Indian casinos and on the Internet. Others questioned why the
study did not include children, who are believed to be among the
growing number of people using the Internet to gamble.

"It is low," said Bruce Roberts, executive director of the
California Council on Problem Gambling, a nonprofit organization
promoting awareness of problem gambling. "There is no consideration
of children (gamblers in the study)."

Hedrick acknowledged there are shortcomings with the study but
said the survey provides the best picture of the problem
available.

"The study was well-designed and well-reviewed," he said.

Based on the survey, there are between 296,500 and 490,000
adults in the state that could be classified as pathological
gamblers. An additional 450,000 to 713,400 people could be
classified as problem gamblers, according to the study.

The estimated 1.2 million compulsive gamblers represent about
4.5 percent of the 26.3 million people age 18 and over living in
the state, according to the study.

Other findings include:

n The majority of adults in California, 83 percent, have gambled
at some point in their lives.

n Playing the lottery is the gambling activity cited the most,
but most gamblers said they preferred gambling at casinos.

n Prevalence of problem gambling was particularly high among
blacks, and among people who are disabled or unemployed.

Problem gambling is a term used to refer to individuals who
experience difficulties with their gambling, such as unsuccessful
efforts to control, cut back or stop gambling, according to the
American Psychiatric Association.

Pathological gambling is problem gambling at its most severe and
is a recognized psychiatric disorder.

A 2006 report by the California Research Bureau estimated that
problem and pathological gambling costs the state $1 billion,
largely in costs related to crime, bankruptcy and public health
services.

Advocates seeking to curb casino expansions said they hope the
study sheds new light on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's efforts to
adopt new gambling agreements with California Indian tribes who
want to build more casinos and add more slot machines to existing
casinos.

The governor wants more gambling revenues for the state in
exchange for allowing tribes to operate more profit-generating
machines.

There are 53 tribes in the state operating 54 Las Vegas-style
casinos, 17 of them are in San Diego and Riverside counties,
according to a legislative analyst's office report released Friday.
The 17 casinos in the region operate 45 percent of the state's
61,957 slot machines, according to the analyst.

Last year, the governor negotiated agreements with five Southern
California tribes, including the Pechanga Band of Mission Indians
near Temecula and the Sycuan Band of Mission Indians in East
County. The agreements would add up to 20,000 slot machines. But
the deals stalled in the Assembly and have not been approved.

"I don't think the tribes can pay enough money to address
problem gambling," said Cheryl Schmit, director of Stand Up for
California, a group seeking to curb Indian casinos.

Schmit said the new study would help lawmakers make a more
informed decision about the agreements.

On the other hand, tribal leaders say they have provided
millions to address problem gambling, including much of the seed
money that helped start the Office of Problem and Pathological
Gambling. Tribal leaders say they want other segments of the
state's gambling industry to contribute as well.

"We think this issue requires a comprehensive response from the
entire industry," said Lynn Valbuena, chairwoman of the Tribal
Alliance of Sovereign Indian Governments, a group representing 14
Southern California tribes.

"Though other gaming venues have been in California for decades,
to this day tribes remain the sole funding for state problem
gambling efforts," she added.

- Gamblers Anonymous holds meetings nationwide for those who
have or think they have a gambling problem. For a list of meeting
times and places, go to www.gamblersanonymous.org. You can also
contact GA at (213) 386-8789.

- For family and close friends of those with gambling problems,
Gam-Anon also holds regular meetings nationwide. For a list of
meeting times and places, go to www.gam-anon.org. You can also
contact Gam-Anon at (718) 352-1671.

- Counseling and treatment services are also available at A
Better Tomorrow, 41640 Corning Place, Suite 104, Murrieta. For more
information, call (800) 517-4849.